One of the most frustrating things I could ever have to deal with when I’m travelling is traffic. Have you ever wished you could have known about that construction zone or traffic jam an exit or two sooner to avoid getting stuck for hours? Google put’s that information right in front of you with one simple button.
Using Google to get driving directions is one of the best ways to take advantage of a massive free online resource available to each and every one of us.
From the Google homepage, click on the link in the upper left hand corner labeled “Maps”. Again on the left side of your screen just below the famous Google logo, you will see a link titled “Get Directions”. Select that link and you will see two drop down fields labeled with a green A and B. Enter the address of your starting location in the field labeled as A, then enter your destination in the field labeled B. If you need to be more specific such as avoiding highways or toll roads, you can select the “Show options” link to make your selection before generating your route. Once you’ve filled out the appropriate information and made your choices, simply tap the button labeled “Get Directions” and your route will be displayed as an overlay on the map. Want to do more? Here’s where the power of Google really starts to get both fun and useful at the same time! At the top of the map, you will notice several white tabs with black text. From left to right, they will read traffic, more, map, satellite, and earth. By using these tabs, you can vary the look and style of your driving directions by adding powerful features like a satellite overlay to display local businesses and parking lots.
Just select the “traffic” overlay tab and see live color coded traffic data for each section of your trip so you know which sections of roadway to avoid. That feature alone makes Google Maps my favorite website for getting driving directions online! In case that isn’t enough, you can also save your maps for easy access anytime you need them